Newport County man recovering from West Nile fever

The Rhode Island Department of Health reports that a man in his 50s from Newport County has been diagnosed with West Nile fever, a mild form of West Nile Virus (WNV). The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed the diagnosis. The man first developed symptoms on August 25 and WNV infection was confirmed on August 28. He has since recovered.

“This is yet another reminder that this is the time of year when there are more mosquitoes and Rhode Islanders are at increased risk for exposure to mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile Virus,” said Director of Health Michael Fine, MD. “It is imperative that anyone who spends a lot of time outside to use safeguards against mosquitoes.”

To date this year, there have been three mosquito pools in Rhode Island that have tested positive for WNV and three (two of them in Tiverton) that have tested positive for EEE. For information about mosquito-borne diseases, visitwww.health.ri.gov/disease/carriers/mosquitoes/